Tonight in New York, the Italian menswear company Ermenegildo Zegna will host a dinner to celebrate a new campaign that packs a seriously powerful casting coup: It features Robert De Niro.

To secure the services of such a storied star is quite something—especially one who, his long-standing friendship with Giorgio Armani apart, is rarely spotted in fashion land. According to Ermenegildo Zegna artistic director Alessandro Sartori and CEO Gildo Zegna, this campaign, entitled “Defining Moments,” has special resonance in that it marks the start of a new strategy for the house. De Niro stars opposite Maryland up-and-comer McCaul Lombardi (of American Honey) in a series of images shot against archetypal la-la backdrops. Alongside the print campaigns, Sartori and Zegna commissioned the director Francesco Carrozzini to shoot a series of short films recording the actors discussing their “defining moments.”

When I sat with Lombardi at Sartori’s debut show for Zegna in Milan last month this project was still unannounced officially, so no chance to ask him about sharing screen time with De Niro. Carrozzini’s endearing film shows the young actor understandably wide-eyed and rapt as the star of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas discusses working with Marlon Brando, his early mentors, his doubts about TV work, his passion for New York, and what makes him take a role. The films go live on Ermenegildo Zegna’s site and social channels tomorrow, and a behind the scenes teaser is here.

But why does this campaign represent a pivot for Zegna? According to Sartori, it’s the first phase in a switch to focusing on the idea of human conversation instead of branded monologuing—simply focusing solely on product. He said: “As well as the hands that make it, part of the story of Zegna is defined by the people who wear it—people around the world from different generations and with different experience. So we are starting from this idea.” The “Defining Moments” strategy, he added, will not be limited to advertising; other plans are being hatched.

The subtext to all this is the sea change in masculine habit that has seen the suit, or at least the banal suit, drop from its spot as the default item of dress for many. While Ermenegildo Zegna is not limited to suiting (just check Sartori’s debut collection), it is arguably defined by it. Gildo Zegna tacitly acknowledged this when he said: “The market, the consumers, and the demands of both are constantly changing, and for a company to remain competitive, it needs to offer products that meet customer expectations. Alessandro’s entry into Zegna as artistic director of the brand has undoubtedly brought new energy and new ideas. The ‘Defining Moments’ campaign . . . is the beginning of a new path for Zegna that is consistent with our history and our DNA, and at the same time has a clear vision of the future.”